Silver Power Blue Lightning 600W
by Christoph Katzer on August 27, 2007 6:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Conclusion
We have to admit that we really didn't expect the blue lightning to perform very well in our labs, even though Silver Power/MaxPoint told us otherwise. We were pleasantly surprised, and despite the somewhat unconventional looks and difficult to open casing, it's the engine under the hood that counts.
The ventilation in the back proved to be sufficient for allowing air to get out of the PSU. We didn't expect this, as the fan seems to block much of the perforations and there's a large area around the AC jack that could have also been perforated. Obviously, none of that was necessary. The shiny finish is a good quality and is resistant to scratches, so there was nothing to detract from the appearance.
The cables on the power supply are not particularly long and will certainly cause trouble in many larger cases. Midsize towers should not have any difficulties, though, as cable lengths of up to 70cm should be sufficient. All of the connections are of good quality and the Molex connectors also have an easy release mechanism that will help users remove the connections without tugging on the wires. The cable sleeving is also a nice addition and actually goes beyond what we would consider necessary by sleeving even small sections. This isn't a modular power supply, so all of the cables are permanently attached, but we certainly don't consider that a flaw.
In terms of performance, the DC outputs are all very stable but the lower voltage rails do fall out of spec at higher loads. While that might be considered a drawback, it's important to remember that putting such high loads on the lower voltage rails is quite difficult and we seriously doubt most users will come anywhere near drawing enough power to cause the 3.3V and 5V rails to drop out of spec. The 12V rails on the other hand remain firmly within specs and will cause no problems whatsoever, regardless of load or environment temperatures. OCP testing was conducted and also worked properly, ensuring that any attached hardware will not be damaged should something unexpected occur.
Efficiency Comparison
Delivering up to 85% efficiency, the Silver Power Blue Lightning 600W clearly reaches the highest ranks in our steadily increasing list of power supplies. Even at lower input voltages we see efficiency levels above 80% at most loads. This power supply manages to hang out with its more expensive brothers like the Gigabyte Odin and PC Power & Cooling Silencer without having to hang its head in shame. Granted, both those power supplies offer more stable DC outputs than the Blue Lightning, not to mention higher maximum power, so they're not true competitors; but for the midrange market this is definitely a power supply worth considering.
Heat dissipation is also very good, in part due to the large size of the two heatsinks. We measured temperatures of just 15°C higher than the ambient temperature, which is also caused in part by the high efficiency of the Blue Lightning. Higher efficiency means less heat generated, which results in cooler running components. That means the heatsinks don't have to do as much work. Of course, the plastic guard that helps to redirect airflow also appears to be helping.
Our one complaint is that MaxPoint could do a better job at selecting a fan for this power supply. While the noise levels weren't particularly loud, neither were they especially silent. A better fan - perhaps one that skips out on the blue LED lights - would certainly make sense in our opinion. Some users might be attracted by the shiny exterior and blue lighting, but we think a lot more would prefer a simple black paint job and a dark fan and thus increase the potential customer base.
Unfortunately, finding this power supply in stock may be the most difficult task. There appear to be a variety of resellers in France that carry the power supply, but it's not as widely available in the rest of Europe. Pricing appears to be around €80, excluding shipping. Looking at the US market, it is currently almost impossible to find this power supply, although MaxPoint and Tagan are hopefully working to address this issue. Our personal opinion is that the Blue Lightning is not particularly beautiful and perhaps even looks a little cheap/garish, but in terms of performance we were pleasantly surprised and can recommend this power supply for people looking to build a decent midrange system.
Update: The Apex SL8600EPS looks to be the same power supply offered in the US, available at Newegg for around $89 shipped at present. Thanks to our readers for pointing this out!
We have to admit that we really didn't expect the blue lightning to perform very well in our labs, even though Silver Power/MaxPoint told us otherwise. We were pleasantly surprised, and despite the somewhat unconventional looks and difficult to open casing, it's the engine under the hood that counts.
The ventilation in the back proved to be sufficient for allowing air to get out of the PSU. We didn't expect this, as the fan seems to block much of the perforations and there's a large area around the AC jack that could have also been perforated. Obviously, none of that was necessary. The shiny finish is a good quality and is resistant to scratches, so there was nothing to detract from the appearance.
The cables on the power supply are not particularly long and will certainly cause trouble in many larger cases. Midsize towers should not have any difficulties, though, as cable lengths of up to 70cm should be sufficient. All of the connections are of good quality and the Molex connectors also have an easy release mechanism that will help users remove the connections without tugging on the wires. The cable sleeving is also a nice addition and actually goes beyond what we would consider necessary by sleeving even small sections. This isn't a modular power supply, so all of the cables are permanently attached, but we certainly don't consider that a flaw.
In terms of performance, the DC outputs are all very stable but the lower voltage rails do fall out of spec at higher loads. While that might be considered a drawback, it's important to remember that putting such high loads on the lower voltage rails is quite difficult and we seriously doubt most users will come anywhere near drawing enough power to cause the 3.3V and 5V rails to drop out of spec. The 12V rails on the other hand remain firmly within specs and will cause no problems whatsoever, regardless of load or environment temperatures. OCP testing was conducted and also worked properly, ensuring that any attached hardware will not be damaged should something unexpected occur.
Efficiency Comparison
Delivering up to 85% efficiency, the Silver Power Blue Lightning 600W clearly reaches the highest ranks in our steadily increasing list of power supplies. Even at lower input voltages we see efficiency levels above 80% at most loads. This power supply manages to hang out with its more expensive brothers like the Gigabyte Odin and PC Power & Cooling Silencer without having to hang its head in shame. Granted, both those power supplies offer more stable DC outputs than the Blue Lightning, not to mention higher maximum power, so they're not true competitors; but for the midrange market this is definitely a power supply worth considering.
Heat dissipation is also very good, in part due to the large size of the two heatsinks. We measured temperatures of just 15°C higher than the ambient temperature, which is also caused in part by the high efficiency of the Blue Lightning. Higher efficiency means less heat generated, which results in cooler running components. That means the heatsinks don't have to do as much work. Of course, the plastic guard that helps to redirect airflow also appears to be helping.
Our one complaint is that MaxPoint could do a better job at selecting a fan for this power supply. While the noise levels weren't particularly loud, neither were they especially silent. A better fan - perhaps one that skips out on the blue LED lights - would certainly make sense in our opinion. Some users might be attracted by the shiny exterior and blue lighting, but we think a lot more would prefer a simple black paint job and a dark fan and thus increase the potential customer base.
Unfortunately, finding this power supply in stock may be the most difficult task. There appear to be a variety of resellers in France that carry the power supply, but it's not as widely available in the rest of Europe. Pricing appears to be around €80, excluding shipping. Looking at the US market, it is currently almost impossible to find this power supply, although MaxPoint and Tagan are hopefully working to address this issue. Our personal opinion is that the Blue Lightning is not particularly beautiful and perhaps even looks a little cheap/garish, but in terms of performance we were pleasantly surprised and can recommend this power supply for people looking to build a decent midrange system.
Update: The Apex SL8600EPS looks to be the same power supply offered in the US, available at Newegg for around $89 shipped at present. Thanks to our readers for pointing this out!
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33 Comments
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Samus - Monday, August 27, 2007 - link
It appears that a log of people on newegg have this PSU fail after a few months. Now before we get into newegg consumer feedback 'reliability' :) there are a few people who've had these fail, not just one or two.I'm ganna give it a shot anyway. Should work well with my DFI Infinity 975 board, being EPS12v and all.
Slaimus - Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - link
Knowing it is an Apex-built power supply took most of the wind out of its sails. Apex, also known as L&C and Deer, has made some of the most unreliable power supplies ever.This seems to be one of their better efforts, but reliability will always be a concern with this company.
mindless1 - Thursday, August 30, 2007 - link
SMPS tech is reasonably mature beyond present tweaking a bit for higher efficiency, more 12V current, and these without cost rising out of control.Point being, Apex (actually better known as Foxconn or Hon Hai) can easily build quality PSU, it is not inability it is the choice of product placement and construction cost that results in some of the junk we've all seen.
As for reliability, there is a problem as always that you hear of someone with a failed PSU but no autopsy most of the time. No disrespect meant to reviewers, but over the years I can't could how many times a product seemed good at first glance, and second glance (a review period), but later a fault compromised the lifespan. A review of one unit can't take forever, it is going to be inherantly limited in scope, but still must be seen as a way to disqualify products more than qualify them for long term use.